Up So High
by isobeljones2000
Summary: 'Accidentally got on the big wheel together AU' 'It's only when the greasy-haired, bored-looking teenager closes the latch on the squeaky metal door of the pod that Katherine suddenly realises she isn't alone in the cramped carriage.' Nick/Katherine


**Up So High (That We Never Want To Fall)**

 _Because the idea of Nick and Katherine in an AU where they don't hate each other's guts is looking really good to me right now XD_

 _Accidentally got on the big wheel together AU_

It's only when the greasy-haired, bored-looking teenager closes the latch on the squeaky metal door of the pod that Katherine suddenly realises she isn't alone in the cramped carriage.

She had never meant to come here in the first place, to be perfectly fair.

It was only when Phil had come and forcibly slammed the lid of her laptop down against the keyboard - nearly trapping Katherine's fingers against the 'Delete' button where they had been resting for at least the last two minutes - that Katherine was forced to admit that she may need a break. Her best friend looked disapproving as an already protesting Katherine blinked blearily up at her, trying to rub away the dark shadows that bulged underneath her eyes and failing miserably. "How long have you been on this project now, Katie?" she demanded as her only greeting.

"It's Katherine," Katherine corrected for what might be the hundredth time since she had got to know her. "And not long. A couple of weeks, max."

"That's a couple of weeks of staying late, coming in early, working over your lunch break," Phil listed, her tone almost bored. "Working on this same project."

"It's important!"

"Not that important. Not gets-in-the-way-of-normal-functioning-life important." The older woman glanced up at the clock, looked back almost accusingly with a wild gesture in its vague direction. "Look. Who comes into work at quarter to seven?"

"People who care about their job," answered Katherine reasonably. "Hoffman's on my back already. I'm wasting time on old projects, apparently. Putting funding into the wrong areas. Not doing the hours."

"Not doing the -" Phil huffed incredulously in place of the last syllable, her eyes widening dramatically. "Not doing the hours? You do more hours than me and my department put together, probably. That Hoffman doesn't know what he's talking about, Katie."

"Katherine. And although Lord Hoffman may not know what he's talking about, he's still the one with the finger on the button." Katherine reopened her laptop, stabbed a finger at a random key as if to prove her point. "He's still the all-powerful one with his intent to find an excuse to fire me at any point."

"No offence, but maybe you're in the wrong career if every move you make is a possible trigger factor for Hoffman firing you," Phil said seriously.

"No offence, but I actually kind of like this job," countered Katherine. "Calimov is a huge tech-based corporation, after all, with threads into more than twenty countries globally. It's going to be pretty pressurised. And I worked hard to get here."

"Huh."

Katherine nodded curtly at Phil, unable to quite pick out what point she had just made, but going with it anyway. "So, if you don't mind, I need to get this order finished by lunchtime."

"You _need_ a break," replied Phil stubbornly.

"I need to finish this project."

"You need to take a break. Just a day. A day off, Katie, does that sound so terrible?"

Katherine laughed shortly. "Yeah. 'Cause Hoffman will totally authorise that. For me. For no apparent reason other than my best friend told me to."

"That's how it tends to work for the rest of us mortals, yes," Phil agreed.

"Well, not for me. I will take a break when I think I need it, Philippa, and that's not right now, when I'm so close to finishing a project."

Phil had sighed overdramatically and left her to it, remarking over her shoulder that she would still need a break at some point as she swept from the room. Katherine had shrugged and called after her that she was perfectly fine, thanks. And also that her name was _Katherine_.

And that had been the end of that.

So Katherine is understandably surprised when, the next day, her best friend seems to appear from nowhere as she's making her way across the foyer of Calimov, a beaming smile on her face. "I have done it!" Phil announces melodramatically.

"Um - done what?" Katherine wonders aloud, trepidation in her tone.

Zac, too, unexpectedly appears from behind Phil, his hair even more rumpled than usual. He also appears to be wearing some kind of red-patterned bandanna, along with jeans that Katherine is fairly sure Lord Hoffman would happily fire him over if he catches a glimpse of them. "We're going to a theme park!" Zac confirms with a whoop.

"I'm sorry?!"

Phil explains on the way. Katherine's not sure why she allows the woman to pull her back out of the building and bustle her into the back seat of her tiny car, where she finds a vaguely familiar man from elsewhere in her department who Phil distractedly introduces as Arnold Gwenlan. Zac climbs excitedly into the front seat, bouncing experimentally on the leather and receiving a stern look from the owner of the car, before Phil proceeds to explain to a now thoroughly confused Katherine what's going on.

What Katherine deduces from the hurried monologue as Phil pulls her car out onto the motorway is that they've managed to get all four of them permission for a day off, just this once. "Won't bore you with the details, Katie, but I got on his good side and here we are!" she grins.

"Does Lord Hoffman have a good side?" Katherine wonders sceptically.

"I don't know, but if he does I sure managed to get on it."

Katherine gives a half-smile, half-suspicious frown to the man joining her in the back of the car. Gwenlan doesn't look all that convinced either, but shrugs and gestures at their two very enthused friends almost bouncing in the front seat.

She listens silently to their random chatter for the next forty minutes as they race down many identical roads, Phil only seeming to speed up as they got closer to the fair, Katherine only wondering more why she had ever agreed to this.

Eventually they swing into the carpark, distant screaming and laughter swirling in the distance as Katherine reluctantly leaves the relative security of the car.

"Ready to have the most fun of your _life_?" Zac inquires excitedly.

Katherine pulls a face of distain. "No need to yell, _Zachary_."

"There is every need to yell!" he counters at an even louder volume just to annoy her. "There are roller coasters in the offing here, Katherine. And water slides. Not to mention excessive amounts of candyfloss."

Katherine shrugs again. "To be honest, I've never been such a fan of roller coasters," she admits.

The look on Zac's face is priceless as he stares at her, obviously scandalised by this new development. Luckily Phil cuts across their argument, having locked up the car and dragging Gwenlan behind her. "Let's go!" she grins.

It's a quick matter to manoeuvre the crowds queuing at the entrance and the four are soon entering the gates of the theme park, with Zac obviously itching to race off as he stares around with a rapturous grin. Phil turns animatedly to Katherine as they wander in, coming to a halt. "So, Katherine, what do you want to do first? Since this was your idea and all."

Katherine frowns. "Well, I'm not sure it was my ide -"

"What are we waiting for?" Gwenlan interrupts.

"Good question," agrees Zac energetically.

"I'll stay away from any roller coasters, if that's all right with you," offers Katherine.

"What? You're missing out on all the fun!" Phil counters.

"A theme park was your idea, not mine," Katherine reminds her friend. "Your idea of fun is undoubtedly different to mine. You go ride some machines of doom, if that's what you call 'fun'."

Zac's grin widened. "Ooh, I love machines of doom! C'mon, let's goooooo, Phil!"

"Well... if you're sure, Katie," Phil said uncertainly.

"Sure," she assures, looking up at one of the aforementioned swirling death contraptions with trepidation that afforded its title. "You wouldn't get me on one of those if you tried, trust me. We can meet up for lunch later."

"'Kay. I'll text you." Phil turns to Zac and Gwenlan. "Ready, you guys?"

"Born ready!" confirms Zac, adrenaline obviously in full flight.

Even Gwenlan's looking more cheerful now. "Let's do it. We might as well use our day off for fun, after all."

"Bye," Katherine offers somewhat weakly as her three friends race off in one direction, Zac shouting decisively that he wanted to go on 'the whirliest one first', whatever that's supposed to mean.

Katherine realises fairly soon that she should have probably brought some work along; it's going to be a long day if she just stands around holding the bags for its entirety, after all. Phil would have argued - this was supposed to be a day _off_ work, but if Katherine had had a choice in the matter she definitely wouldn't have chosen a theme park to spend it in, of all places.

After some deliberation, she figures she might as well wander around and check the place out. Eventually, she settles for the tamest-looking ride in the immediate vicinity: a Ferris wheel with tiny capsules rotating up and over the top of it, occasionally pausing and leaving them swaying in the breeze. There isn't too much of a queue for this one, unlike the lengthy waits for some of the larger rides, and Katherine sets the rucksacks down in the holder before joining the queue behind a mother and a young toddler - the latter wearing a princess dress and earmuffs, bizarrely.

She's not really paying attention as the teenager in charge of the ride gestures vaguely to the next carriage, the young family having already ascended in the one just before. Shading her eyes against the bright sun - she may say what she likes about Phil, but her friend does seem to know how to choose the right weather for a day out - she climbs into the next pod, figuring she'll at least get a sit down and a nice view, without being terrified out of her wits for the privilege.

But it's only when the sun decides to stop blinding her for just a second that she realises she's not the only inhabitant of her section of the ride.

The man who is already sitting down in the capsule gives her a friendly, but slightly uncertain smile as the surly teenager, without looking at her, flicks the latch to close the gate on the carriage. "Hey, wait -" Katherine tries to alert him, but he either doesn't hear her or chooses to ignore her, either one is equally plausible. "Wait!" she attempts again.

Still without acknowledging her voiced complaints, the ride controller steps into the box-like room where the control panel for the ride is, and presses a button to start the ride, before slouching down in his seat and staring carelessly at the illuminated screen of his phone.

"You might as well sit down," her accidental passenger spoke up as the wheel began to slowly rotate again, the capsule rocking with the motion and causing the still-standing Katherine to lurch and lose balance. She figures he's right - there's nothing to do now to get herself out of this mess - and scrambles for a seat just as she feels she's about to fall headlong out of the ascending pod, an audible sigh of relief issuing from her lips.

There follows an awkward silence which neither of them wants to be the first to speak, both staring to opposite sides of the pod in a useless attempt to admire the view, while constantly aware of being in the close presence of a stranger. Katherine sneaks a crafty look at the man when she's sure his attention is elsewhere. He looks around her age, maybe a little older, wearing a thin knitted jumper over a tatty checked shirt which looks far too warm for this sort of weather. Still, she's one to talk; having had no warning of an impromptu trip out this morning, she's clad in her typical work attire: black trousers, a smart green-tinged top and a smart blazer, which definitely isn't the sort of look this place seems to go for. She's forced to hide a impulsive smile at the thought. Maybe they're both misfits, using the big wheel as an attempt to ward off boredom. The misfit theory would certainly explain the jumper.

"Well this is considerably more interesting than I expected it would be," the man unexpectedly says, making her jolt a little, having not been prepared to initiate conversation. Still, he seems friendly enough. If he's some sort of psychotic axe murderer, he's hiding it well. Not to mention the capsule's too small to attempt to hide a large trowel, let alone a murder weapon.

She figures it's probably worth the risk rather than the awkwardness and smiles tentatively across at him. "It is that, yes."

His eyes are surprisingly warm: a light hazel that the sunlight reflects off of. "I assume you're checking out this particular ride for the same reasons I am?"

Katherine shrugs. "It depends. Is your reason that you have a particular dislike of anything that spins you around within an inch of your life?"

The man chuckles. "There is that, yes."

Katherine realises he's mimicking her earlier statement and her features are uncertain whether to frown or smile at this as she transfers her gaze back to the view, which is now nearing the top of the ascent. It's oddly easy to talk to the man opposite, even though they're really complete strangers. "I must say, I wasn't really picturing anything even remotely like this when I woke up this morning," she admits.

He gives another laugh. He has a nice smile, breaking through a slightly otherwise embarrassed-looking visage.

"So, who convinced you that this would be fun and dragged you along?" the man suddenly wants to know.

Katherine sighs. "It's that obvious?"

"'Fraid so."

"I guess not many women in business suits tend to come and sit on fairground rides of a Tuesday morning," she reasons. "I think it's fairly obvious that I'm not accustomed to being anywhere like this."

"I wouldn't know. I don't really tend to make the acquaintance of many women in business suits, if I'm being honest," the man points out. "So, whose idea was it, if evidently not yours?"

"My friends from my department dragged me along, since they insisted I needed a break," replied Katherine dryly. "I think it was just an excuse to get my boss to give _them_ a day to take a trip to a theme park, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"So they say."

Katherine gives him a sideways glance, though she's still making a point of staunchly staring at the view as they reach the bottom and start to rotate up and around a second time, the capsule juddering a little with the change in momentum. "So what about you? Who are you reluctantly accompanying?"

He grins. "Who said _I_ didn't come of my own accord?"

Katherine's pointed look obviously sways him, because he laughs and shakes his head, giving up the deception. "Okay, okay. _Maybe_ it wasn't completely my idea. I'm here with my son and niece, along with their best friend and her younger brother."

"Intense," she comments. "Not my idea of fun, but - each to their own." _He has a son?_

"They're up there, actually," he informs her, gesturing over Katherine's shoulder to the other capsules floating above them as they reach the top. Katherine cranes her neck to get a view of the family - she had almost forgotten there were other people also on the ride. She can just make out four heads and a mop of wild frizzy hair, with a younger boy staring down over the railings with a sulky look on his face. The brother, she assumes. In the pod right to them she watches the young toddler that she had seen before dancing happily around the constricted space, fairy dress askew, making their carriage lurch even more than Katherine's. The mother smiles fondly as she carefully guides the child's progress around her with a gentle hand.

"Are they enjoying the trip as much as you obviously are?" Katherine inquires back to Nick, swallowing down any curious questions she has and settling with non-personal questions, figuring she might as well at least try not to get on too bad terms with some random guy.

"Obviously," he reasons jokingly. "I think they have greater ambitions for the day than I do, though. They only agreed to go on the Ferris wheel first since Abe has already eaten half a bag of candyfloss since we got in the car and it's really not advisable to combine eating sickly sugary stuff straight before going on a big roller coaster, in my limited experience."

Katherine pulls a face at the mental image. "Ew. No, thank you."

The man seems to consider something for a moment, before sticking out his hand across the short distance between their knees. "Nick," he states simply. "If we're meant to spend over a minute together in this small carriage, it's only right we make proper introductions, really."

She affords him a smile. "Katherine," she replies, shaking his hand formally. His hand, as expected, is warm and his grasp is firm yet comfortable, so Katherine's oddly disappointed when he lets go. They fall back into silence again, but this time it's more bearable, more companionable. Katherine takes the opportunity to take in the fairground stretched out like a board game below them: she imagines Phil, Zac and Gwenlan - she really must find out his first name - toiling in long, hot queues, and smiles secretly. She can't help but think that she got the better deal from the day. Dizzy teenagers wander across the park far below them, the wheel taking them surprisingly high up. There's a faint aroma of something sugary sweet swirling lethargically through the air, along with the stronger scent of slightly acrid smoke intermingled with it. It's odd, but pleasing.

Their capsule reaches the bottom and the ride slows, Katherine fully expecting to get off, but to her surprise it's only to let the woman with the princess-themed toddler wander happily off hand-in-hand before it begins to pick up speed and they're once again hoisted into the air.

"Oh - okay, we're going around again," the man notes somewhat unnecessarily. Above them, Katherine hears a whoop and a 'Hey, Dad!', to which her new acquaintance replies with a cheery wave of his own. Katherine can see one of the boys in the carriage - looking very similar to who she assumes is his father - throwing her a curious look. The blonde girl next to him is smiling rapturously and gazing around at the view.

They slow down again just as they near the peak of the ascent, and to Katherine's surprise the wheel stops right at the top so they're left swaying in the breeze, looking down at the fairground below them. She's smiling unconsciously, and so is the other man, she realises.

"Look." The man - _Nick_ \- points across the small circular capsule, his finger directing both of their gazes across the theme park to where the late morning sun throws light across the tops of a clump of trees in the distance, scattering tiny beams everywhere.

"It's beautiful," breathes Katherine, for a moment taken unawares, before remembering herself and coughing awkwardly to hide her momentary joy.

Nick looks teasing. "It is that, yes," he concurs.

Inexplicably, they go around twice more, although Katherine's fairly sure that the small family who had queued just in front of her had got off quite a while previously. The ride operator had probably just got distracted by his phone or fallen asleep, she knows that. But when it finally begins to slow and rock gently like a cradle as they're brought to an eventual halt, Katherine can't help wish that they could keep going round and round forever, just to capture that idyllic moment for a little longer up in he sky, where for an instant anything seems possible.

"After you," offers Nick, and Katherine climbs somewhat unsteadily out, setting her feet back on solid ground. Nick follows her, his own gait slightly askew himself as they both grab their bags from the holdall: Katherine swinging three rucksacks over her shoulders gifted to her by her friends.

Nick is smiling his slightly embarrassed smile when they're a few metres away from the ride and Katherine turns expectantly, both of them hovering awkwardly. They're still strangers, of course, but is it right just to walk off after that sort of encounter? Katherine doesn't really know the etiquette for this particular situation, but something in her says she doesn't want this to end just yet. "I don't suppose you feel like trying out the carousel?" he inquires with an ironic chuckle.

"Doesn't sound like too bad of an idea," muses Katherine. "I think I can just about manage the terror factor that accompanies the smaller rides. Carousels are about as far as I'll push it, though."

"Yeah, that's about my limit too," he admits ruefully.

 _Do it, Katherine. Do it or you'll forever regret it._ "I was thinking of going for coffee, if they have such a thing here," Katherine states slowly, summoning up all her nerve in one long intake of breath. "I don't suppose you - would want to join me?"

"Sounds good," agrees Nick immediately, apparently not even having to consider his answer.

Katherine smiles rather too widely. "Okay."

Nick's smile is just as radiant. "Okay. I'll just go and let the teenagers know. They're old - but probably not mature - enough to be left alone for a couple of hours."

Katherine nods, and as Nick walks over to where the gaggle of similarly aged kids chat and laugh, she busies herself with sending off a brief text to Phil. _'Met someone and going for coffee - do you mind if we don't meet up for lunch? See you later.'_ She turns off her phone after this - doubtless within minutes Phil will be barraging her with questioning texts herself, asking who, how, where, etc. Katherine's not really prepared to deal with that right now.

"Carousel then coffee?" the stranger's voice asks from behind her. Nick gestures towards the main square where Katherine suspects the carousel is situated, away from the Ferris wheel which continues to rotate slowly in the background.

"Carousel then coffee," Katherine confirms with a nod, trying not to look too excited. _Chill, Calvin. It's just coffee._

Maybe today won't be such a complete waste of time after all.

Though she's never telling Phil that, of course, or she'llnever hear the end of it.


End file.
